Improvement in water-wheels



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FREEMAN MORSE, OF HASTINGS,ANEW YORK.

lMPROVEMENT IN WATER-WH EELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 40,76%. dated November 24, 1863.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREEMAN Mousn, of Hastings, in the county of Oswego and State ot New York, have invented a new and 1inproved \Vater-W heel; and l do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part ot' this specification, in which- Figure l is an elevation of inv improved wheel, showing` the casing or penstock partly in section. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section ofthe wheel and penstock, the section being taken in the line c' .r of Fig. l.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in thc several views.

The nature oi" my invention consists in having the buckets ot' the wheel extend in spiral iorni i'roin the top to the bottoni of the penstock in which it is iitted to run, and having` the floor ot' the penstock level with theI bottoni of the water-way, so that the water shall strike square 'against the buckets and expend a portion ot' its force upon the wheel before it commences to iise in the penstock, whereby a. much greater' percentage otpoweris obtained i'rom the saine volume and .i'all ot' water than when the water has to ascend an inclined plane beforeit impinges the buckets ot' the wheel, as is usually the case in wheels ot' this character.

To enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to fully understand the sa1ne,I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

Arepresen ts a box or penstock for the wheel,

lwith an inlet, B, the shape of which and the penstock is clearly represented in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The wheel is made of a log of wood, which is first turned in a lathe or otherwise to the proper size, and then the buckets formed on it by cutting spiral channels in its periphery et such shape as to leave ridges which on one and the same side are alike and ot' radial forni. rlhese ridges constitute the buckets ot' the wheel and their radial surfaces the faces oi' the buckets, the backs of which are of rounded form and extend from the bottom of onebucke-t to the top of the onenext preceding it. In wheels of large size I propose to back the buckets with iron in the forni of metal plates, as shown in the accompanying drawings. These plates, after being itted to the backs of the buckets, are secured by screws passing through into the wood. The buckets, at their upper ends, are iucloscd by a rim, which is iron bound and rests on the top ot' the penstocks. rllhis rim prevents the water passing through the penstock from escaping until it has passed some distance above it. The front and back side of the buckets, at their upper ends, are made parallel and more curved than lower down, for the purpose of giving a horizontal direction to the Water and a less obstructed discharge.

The operation of my improved water-wheel is as follows: The water passes from the thune through the inlet 13 into the penstock A where it comes in contact with the bucket a,

at its lower end, and a portion gradually ascends the saine, while another portion passes on and meets the bucket l). and still another portion passes on and strikes the bucket c, each portion ot' water gradually ascending the bucket and expending the force of its nio'nentum and that imparted to it bythe gravity ot' the descending' column. The water passing' to the wheel continues to act upon each ot' the buckets until it has passed above the rim, whence, being no longer contined, it iiows away with perfect i'reedoln and without any disadvantageous reaction.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A water-wheel having buckets formed upon it in the manner described, and extending from the top to the bottom ofthe penstock, in which it is iitted to run, in combination with the penstock whenA the tloor of the same is level with the bottoni ot' the inlet and water way, so that the water shall strike the buckets ot' the wheel and expend a portion of its force before commencing to rise in the penstock, as and for the purpose specilied.

The above specification of my improvement in water-wheels signed this 29th day of July, 1863.

FREEMAN MORSE.

Witnesses:

J AMES H. GRIDLEY, GHaRLns SMITH. 

